Government vehicle started massive Chariot Fire

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - An East County wildfire that destroyed 149 structures while blackening 7,055 acres began when a Bureau of Land Management vehicle ignited dry vegetation underneath it, authorities announced Friday.

The Chariot Fire began just before 1 p.m. July 6 near Butterfield Ranch Resort and the Great Southern Overland Stage Route on land managed by the BLM, according to Cal Fire.

It took 10 days for more than 2,100 firefighters to contain the blaze using ground and air attacks.

"It is critical that everyone be extra cautious outdoors with any activity that may cause a spark," Cal Fire Southern Region Chief Dale Hutchinson said in a statement released this morning. "This year especially we need the public to remember that one less spark means one less wildfire."

No major injuries occurred as a result of the Chariot Fire but a dozen firefighters were treated for minor injuries, mostly heat exhaustion, according to Cal Fire.

The majority of the structures lost were campground cabins in the Mount Laguna area.

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